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During the eventful years from 1885 to 1889, five Negroes were elected to serve on the Lynchburg City Council. From conversations with contemporary citizens and through examination of the land books and marriage registers in the local clerk of court’s office, the following data was  obtained about these councilmen: Jefferson Anderson was born January 5, 1850 of slave parents in Amherst County. He acquired a common
school education which was sufficient to operate a grocery business at Madison and Twelfth Streets. He owned a piece of property, valued at $1000, jointly with his wife, located 711 Taylor Street. After serving on the city council for two terms or four years, he was made superintendent of the Methodist cemetery, July 1, 1889. The cemetery was owned and operated by the city of Lynchburg. Anderson resigned from this job three years later because of the low salary paid him by the city. He lived to be nearly one hundred years old and was very active in the political and civic life of his community. Partially reproduced from, “The Participation of the Lynchburg, Virginia Negro in Politics, 1865-1900", 1950 Master of Arts Thesis, Virginia State College, page 28, by Harry S. Ferguson.
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